IWGY: A Crown of Stars
by yra
Summary: This is how love ends...Silver Millennium, Serenity & Endymion
1. Prologue

_A/N: Okay, so the idea of "I Will Give You" was a quick set of stories for each Senshi/Shitennou pairing from the Silver Millennium. Well, quick, short stories aren't really my forte, so it's gotten a little out of hand. Instead, I'm going to break them all into their own stories, and just have some fun. I want to finish this before I start work on the sequel to "Out of the Abyss." Though character development has already begun for that… Anyway, special thanks go out to ice illuser, Zankoku…(what a name you've got,)_

_My One Hope, Eme (thanks for reading that whole monster!),SlipperyLiz (who doesn't love an in depth, glowing review), and two returning favorites, Lysia Croft and Issalee. Thanks everyone for taking an interest, and I hope this will live up to your expectations._

Rusty brown, too dark to be red, almost black in the moonlight, stained her white dress. Silver on the ground, red all around, a strange gasping sound…

"No! Princess!"

"Serenity!"

"Oh, gods help us!"

"This can't be happening!"

Voices she knew, faces she loved, fading away into the light of the moon…Stars sparkling in her eyes… Her head falling onto his chest…

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you…All of you...So very much…"

"No!"

A low moan, as someone touched her cheek. "Please, don't go! Stay with us."

"Mars?"

Deep purple eyes came into her view, long black hair swept back by a soft wind, her mouth trembling. Tears streaked down her cheeks, and she shook her head weakly.

"Don't go," she begged. Strange to see Mars beg…

"Princess."

A flash of blue, then Mercury's anguished face, sapphire eyes reddened with her crying. "Princess, how could we have failed you so?"

Emerald eyes looked lost as Jupiter leaned over her. "What could we have done?"

A pool of sunlight on her stomach… no, merely long tresses of golden hair, as Venus bowed her head, shoulders shaking with her sobs. She looked up between the shining curtains of her hair, her lips moving silently in the same words, over and over.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, Venus," she whispered. "Don't cry. I just…have to go where he goes."

"Why?" Mercury wailed.

"You know why. What…would you do… for your…love?"

"_You_ are our love," Mars gasped. "Our only love. We'll do better…oh, please stay."

"Liar," she breathed, smiling ever so slightly. "Go to them. They need you now…"

"NO!"

Mars' fingers hurt where the gripped her face, but only for a moment. Then she was drifting, her eyes were closing, everything was so quiet…


	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…_

_The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"_

…_Upon a darkened night…  
…The flame of love was burning in my breast…_

Quiet reigned in the garden, only the tinkling sounds of the fountain breaking the stillness. The small feet in their delicate slippers moved as softly as they could. The gardens soothed her, as they always did. No one would bother her here for some time, and she wanted to enjoy the peace.

Princess Serenity looked around quickly, making certain she was alone, before sinking onto her favorite bench. Her silver hair tumbled back freely as she tipped her head, looking up into the star studded sky. There, spinning over her head, was the beautiful blue and green jewel of the solar system.

"Earth."

Her heart filled with longing, though she did not know why. As befitted the Heiress of the Silver Millennium, she had visited almost every planet in the solar system. She had danced in a wild masquerade ball on Venus, driven a horse-drawn sleigh across the ice planes of Mercury, helped build the fires in the Great Temple of Mars, and chased tiny, brilliant butterflies through the jungles of Jupiter's moons. She had ridden the wild steeds of Uranus for hours, dismounting only to leap into the fathomless oceans of Neptune. She had even been close enough to touch the rings of Saturn, and glimpsed, however briefly, the shrouded Titan castle, home to the young orphaned Princess. Once, when her mother was not watching, she snuck into the forbidden chamber, and stole a glance at the beautiful Time Keeper, Sailor Pluto.

Of course, then the mists of time had come rolling out, and she had fled the room in fear… She still did not know if lovely Pluto had caught her, but her mother never mentioned it, so she did not think so.

So many treats, and yet still, she wanted more. She wanted to descend to the surface of the wild Earth, to step on stones untouched by any of the White Moon for centuries. She wanted to unwrap the white clouds and blue skies of that orb, and see the people who lived beneath them.

_Forbidden._

The lock on the treasure chest, the warning to keep the unwary child from venturing where they would be hurt, the one thing that could make Serenity drop her eyes from her jealously coveted prize. Earth was forbidden to the people of the Moon Kingdom, only spoken of in hushed whispers and sidelong glances. No one could touch her beautiful blue and green jewel.

Part of her, a tiny part she did not always like to admit existed, always gladdened a little when she thought that while she could not go there, neither could anyone else. Somehow it made it seem as though Earth belonged to her, and only her. It might be wrong, but she liked that thought.

"Serenity!"

Turning in surprise, she found herself face to face with a very annoyed Princess of Mars.

"Mars!" she wailed, clasping a hand to her chest. "You scared me!"

"I called your name three times!" Mars snapped without remorse.

Serenity stepped back, putting herself a safe distance from her friend's legendary temper. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I was just thinking."

"Don't bother trying to fool me," Mars advised, beginning to tap her toe. "You were daydreaming again, without a thought in your head."

Serenity wrinkled her nose in confusion. "How can you daydream without a thought?"

"And don't talk back!"

"Ow! Don't pinch me!"

"Oh, there you are!"

Grinning with delight, Venus came running towards them through the rows of flowers, her hands out. Automatically, Mars and Serenity each placed one of their hands into hers. They found themselves twirled around, then rushing back the way their golden friend had come.

"Where are we going?" Serenity cried, stumbling as she tried to keep up with Venus' excited pace.

The other girl giggled impishly and threw them a mischievous grin. "Duke Adonis is here, with Sir Eluves, _and_ Lord Furor!"

"Oh, no!" Mars groaned. She dug her heels into the path, finally managing to haul them all to a halt. "No, no, no! I have no interest in speaking with _him_!"

Venus tugged hopefully on her arm. "We're not _speaking_ with any of them, Mars! We're _looking_ at them! _They're_ speaking with the Queen!"

"With Mother!" Serenity glanced at Mars, both surprised. "About what?"

"I don't know! That's why I left Mercury and Jupiter there to keep an eye on them, while I found you!"

"You mean, you ordered Jupiter and Mercury to spy for you," Mars corrected dryly. "Venus, if the Queen wanted us to know something, don't you think she would tell us?"

"Mars, don't be so boring," Venus huffed, annoyed. "If it were a real secret, they wouldn't be discussing it in the garden!"

"She has a point," Serenity conceded. "I want to hear what they're talking about, too!"

"Excellent!" Venus cheered. "Come on, Mars. You don't want to be left out, do you?"

Her eyes widening with horror at the thought, Mars muttered, "Well, I guess it can't be _too_ secret…"

Venus grabbed her hand again, and took off running.

They found Mercury and Jupiter kneeling behind a rose tree, whispering excitedly to one another. Whatever Jupiter said, Mercury shook her head, her blue hair fanning out around her head. Then she muttered something, and Jupiter nodded.

"Well?" Venus hissed, panting a little from the run. "What are they saying?"

"You aren't going to believe this!" Mercury told them, her big blue eyes amazed. "Queen Serenity is sending an envoy to _Earth!_"

"_WHAT!_" Venus and Mars chorused. Their leader fell to her knees beside Mercury, squeezing closer to look out at the Queen. "Why!"

"Sh!" Jupiter cautioned. "They might hear you!"

"Listen!" Mercury added.

Serenity peered around the other side of the tree, glimpsing her mother standing before the great marble fountain. With her were Duke Adonis, Lord Furor and Sir Eluves. Serenity raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. Duke Adonis was one of the six Dukes of Venus, second in power only to King Desiderus, Venus' father. Lord Furor was Mars' cousin, the only son of her uncle, the Regent of Phobos Demos Castle. Sir Eluves was half-brother to the Princess of Neptune. Prominent figures in the Moon Court, and everyone spoke highly of all three young men. Rumor said the trio were competing amongst themselves for the next position in Queen Serenity's council.

Each handsome, they maintained the best traits of their planet's royal line. Sir Eluves stood several inches taller than Lord Furor and Duke Adonis, but both he and the Duke were slender, where Mars' cousin was stocky and powerful. Eluves' hair was a pale bluish-green, not as brilliant as his more royal sister, but lovely with his bright emerald eyes. Deep red hair, naturally curly, made a pleasing frame for Furor's tanned face and dark eyes. Adonis' windswept pale blonde locks and twinkling blue eyes gave him a dashing, daredevil look. Serenity liked Eluves' smile best, but thought Furor the funnier of the two. She was never certain what to make of Adonis, so mysterious, and almost _too_ charming.

"…growing necessary to intervene," the Queen was saying. "I do not like all this unrest."

"But, Your Majesty," Furor spoke up, "what danger could the barbarians possibly pose to the Moon Kingdom?"

Adonis gave him a patient look. "Perhaps they are not as technologically advanced as ourselves, Furor, but there is a frightening amount of power in brute strength, and in numbers. They have more livable land then any other planet in this system, and have consequently decided to breed like some form of rodent. They could crush us under the weight of their untrained forces."

Queen Serenity did not appear to approve of Adonis' reasoning. "You would all do well not to underestimate the people of Earth. They have been cut off from the Moon for a very long time, and have therefore had to…adjust."

"Adjust?" her daughter whispered. "What does she mean?"

"I heard the royal family has become deformed," Venus murmured from the side of her mouth, eyes still on the young noblemen. "They grew horns for their sins!"

"They have cloven hooves," Jupiter added excitedly, "and tails!"

"Their crown prince," Mars finished decisively, "has a great bushy mane, like a lion."

"Oh, really!" Mercury interrupted. "That is ridiculous! Why should distance from the Moon deform someone?"

"They have learned to make do without some of the things we of the Silver Millennium take for granted," the Queen continued, unaware of the arguing spies. "There is strength in that, and ingenuity. Also, I will _not_ have the Royal Family of Terra insulted! If the three of you cannot be civil, I will certainly find other ambassadors."

"No!" they cried out in unison.

"Of course not, Your Majesty!" Eluves continued, glancing reluctantly at the other young men. "We apologize, and we will strive to embody all that the Silver Millennium considers best and just."

"Our solemn vow, my Queen," Adonis added. "But, if I may, my Queen, why now?"

The Queen turned her gaze up to the shining Earth, and Serenity let her eyes follow. She heard her mother's answer as if from far away.

"The Royal Family has given us a new hope. Their Crown Prince, Endymion, is…a man worthy of a place in this Court. With any luck, and with our help, he will be able to calm the troubles plaguing Earth at this moment, and lead his planet into a new era. I want to help him do this."

Sir Eluves and Duke Adonis bowed, accepting this reason. Lord Furor hesitated, then added his own acquiesce.

"Good. Thank you, my lords. I will send with you both my advisors, Luna and Artemis. You are welcome to choose any other to take with you, but no more than four each. I do not want the Royal Family to think that we are sending an army. Are there anymore questions?"

Both Eluves and Furor opened their mouths, but Furor was quicker. Before Eluves could speak the Martian lord almost shouted, "May I have a word with you, Majesty!"

The Queen started slightly in surprise, and he lowered his voice to mutter, "Please."

"Yes, of course. Duke Adonis, Sir Eluves, I will see you tomorrow."

The Neptunian noble clenched his jaw, but bowed stiffly, then turned and walked away. The Venusian smirked, bowed with more grace, and turned to follow.

"How strange," Mercury noted. "Eluves does not seem happy."

Mars shook her head, looking none too pleased herself. "Of course not. He wanted to speak with the Queen himself, and I'm willing to wager on the same subject."

Venus nodded, her face surprisingly serious, and Jupiter bit her lip on some unpleasant emotion. Mercury and Serenity looked at them all in equal confusion.

"What subject?" Serenity whispered.

"Your Majesty," Furor began, his voice somewhat strained, "in three months, your daughter, our fair Princess Serenity, will turn eighteen."

The Queen raised an amused eyebrow. "Yes, I am well aware."  
"Um, yes," he stumbled. "Of course you are. And, as you are also aware, eighteen is the age when a young woman of our Court may, um, may, well, may—"

"Oh, just spit it out!" Mars growled.

"—may marry."

The Queen's face immediately became grave. "I do know that, Lord Furor. However, I do not expect her to marry any time in the near future."

"No!" he cried, spreading his hands quickly. "No, of course not. Eighteen is still very young! But at eighteen, one should begin thinking of these things. So I wished to ask you if, with your permission, of course! if I might present myself to Princess Serenity as a possible future husband."

The afore mentioned Princess' jaw almost hit her chest.

"You may present yourself however you like to my daughter," Queen Serenity told him, "but if you are hoping that I will promote your cause against the feelings of my daughter, you are at fault, my lord."

"No, Majesty, of course not!"

She held up a silencing hand. "Now listen to me, and feel free to tell whomever you must the same thing. At the age of eighteen, my daughter _may_ marry. That does not mean she _must_ marry. I know that many of the young men of the court wish to fix their interests with her at this time because she is becoming eligible for marriage, and I, quite honestly, do not like it. If I must, I will certainly pass a new law that she may not marry until she is twenty-eight, or seventy-eight!

"Like myself, my daughter will _only_ marry for love. Is that clear?"

The young man flushed brightly, but bowed. "Yes, my Queen. I understand you completely."

The Queen's sudden smile seemed to throw him off. "Perhaps you do not. I have no objection to you courting the Princess, but only if you are interested in her heart, as well as her crown."

This seemed to soften the blow enough that he managed an answering smile, and gave a much more elegant bow. Then he took himself away, following Eluves and Adonis with a brisk step.

Queen Serenity watched him go, her face slowly becoming grave again. She sighed, and sank down onto the edge of the fountain. She let her fingers trail through the water, her eyes closing a little. Her head tilted to the side, as if resting on someone else's shoulder. She smiled, though the faint beginnings of tears were in her eyes.

The Princess turned away quickly, unable to face her mother's pain. _She's thinking about Father again_.

A hand pulled on her arm, and she blindly allowed her Senshi to steer her away from the rose tree. They pulled her down several paths in silence, finally sitting her gently onto her bench again. They took their places around her, looking at her with compassionate eyes.

"Are you alright?" Mars brushed a lock of hair back, her voice barely a whisper.

"Marriage?" Serenity gasped. "I hadn't even thought…I don't love Lord Furor!"

"No one loves Lord Furor," Mars muttered.

"I don't love Sir Eluves, either! I don't want to marry either of them!"

"You won't have to!" Venus reminded her, clasping her hand. "Your mother said you would only marry for love, and I'm sure she meant it."

"But I've never been in love with anyone!" Serenity wailed. "And…whenever Mother talks about Father, she looks so sad! I don't want to be in love! I don't ever want to marry!"

Jupiter laughed. "You're being silly! Not every marriage is sad. My parents have been married since…well, a very long time. And Venus' parents, and Mars' parents, before they died, and Mercury's parents—"

Wincing, Mercury muttered, "Perhaps it's better if we don't mention my parents."

"But there's no one in the Moon Court I want to marry! Some are handsome, and some are kind, and some are funny, but…I want something else!"

Venus squeezed her hand. "What do you want, Serenity?"

Serenity looked up to her beautiful blue and green jewel. "I want…I want to go to Earth!"

"WHAT?"

"I want to go to Earth, before I turn eighteen," she announced. "Before Eluves and Furor and Adonis go there. It's _mine!_ I love it, more than they ever will! I want to go, before they touch it, before it changes!"

"Princess, you can't!" Mercury gasped. "It's forbidden!"

"Don't break the law!" Mars ordered. "I know you daydream about it all the time, but Serenity, reality is not what you think it is."

"I will go to Earth," she whispered, unheeding her friends. "Before I ever marry. Before I have to give up my dreams."


	3. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…_

_The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"_

_…And by a lantern bright…_

_ …I fled my house while all in quiet rest…_

The door creaked open ominously. Serenity lay on her side, breathing deeply, her fine silver lashes flickering once or twice. The soft blanket came all the way up to her chin, and she snuggled deeper into its warmth as if a draft from the door disturbed her. All her glorious hair scattered around her head on the equally pale pillows.

A sigh of relief came from the door, then it quietly closed.

Serenity held her breath, listening as Mars' footsteps withdrew to her own room. The other girls had taken her all too seriously in her desire to see Earth, and so took turns each night to make certain she was, in fact, in bed. She had been patient for one whole week, and finally her guardians relaxed their vigilance.

Blue eyes wide and eager, she flipped her blankets off. Underneath she wore a simple white gown. A black cloak, stolen from Mars' closet that afternoon, went over top. It took her only a moment to spin her hair up into the Royal Lunarian coiffure, and tuck it under the hood. Her simplest slippers followed, and she rushed to the door.

Very carefully, she inched it open. Not once did the hinges squeak. An impish smile appeared, and she moved into the corridor. No maids, no guards, no one chanced into her path, and she crept down the great staircase with growing confidence. A quick flight brought her around to the side hall, to the maids' quarters. At the end of these was a door.

The Princess hurried through, and found herself in the gardens. Overhead, twice as beautiful for all its temptations, the Earth beckoned her.

Pale, delicate hands emerged from within the depths of the black cloak. She raised them up, towards that which her heart yearned for most. Eyes closed, breathing growing ever more rapid, she reached out with her own special powers.

_Take me there,_ she begged silently of the Silver Imperium Crystal, locked far away in her mother's room. _Take me to my heart's greatest desire. Take me!_

It started in her feet, a feeling of growing ever lighter. Up it crept, swirling through her legs, into her stomach, her chest, and then her head. She felt giddy, weightless, and so very free.

_To Earth! To what I've dreamt of for so long!_

Mercury always said, "When we teleport like this, Serenity, we move with the speed of light. But since nothing solid can travel at the speed of light, we must _become_ light. That takes great concentration and strength of will. Now please, pay attention!"

All the science Mercury knew could not begin to describe the feeling of teleporting, of becoming light. For the eternity it took for a flash of silver light to travel from the Moon to the surface of the Earth, Serenity feared nothing, worried over nothing, cried for nothing. Wrapped in the sweetness of light, she felt only warm, safe, and loved.

Then, too soon, always too soon, she felt solid ground under her feet. The light faded. She was solid, whole, and alone. And she was cold.

Immediately Serenity wrapped Mars' cloak tighter around herself. She had not realized the Earth would be so cold! Under her feet she saw not the beautiful green she knew from her hours of longing gazes, but the thick, hard snow banks of a tundra. Her soft slippers began to sink into the snow, and she found herself stumbling forward, pushed by a freezing wind. She fell to her knees, the cold rising up on all sides to hold her captive.

_What is this?_ Tears stung her eyes, freezing before they could even fall. A ragged sob ended in nothing but a burst of mist from her throat. She tried to push herself up, only to find her hands already numb from the cold.

_This is not what I wanted!_ she raged inside her head. _This is not where I asked to go! How did this happen?_

Her arms, quickly becoming as frozen as her hands, trashed through the snow in a last, desperate attempt to rise. She became tangled in Mars' long black cloak, now as inflexible as the armor of the Palace Guards. Fright quickly growing to full blown panic, she wrapped her arms around her body and shook.

_I…I have to teleport back! I have to get back home! Oh, why did I come here?_ A sudden, horrible thought stilled her. _Is this a punishment, from the Silver Crystal? Is this my sentence for breaking the taboo?_

Lost in her thoughts, Serenity did not notice the sound coming her way. She did not see the shape growing ever clearer through the billowing curtains of snow. Only at the last minute did she see the horse bearing down on her.

A scream ripped free from her throat, and she tried to scramble out of the way. Someone shouted a curse, and the horse reared up over her. She threw her useless arms over her head, and waited for the crushing blow of those huge hooves.

There came the sound of thunder, and the ground under her shook. After a moment of terror, she realized she was whole and unharmed. She lowered her arms, and looked slowly to her right.

Two very large, very powerful looking hooves danced on the snow less than an inch from her head. She heard the horse snort in something like annoyance, and a man's angry voice. Then, through the horse's legs, she saw two black boots appear. They started towards her with a sharp, purposeful stride.

The snow obscured the figure. Serenity strained to see the one approaching her, her heart hammering. Did those boots hide cloven hooves? Were those locks of hair, tussled by the wind, or horns? _What had she been thinking?_

"What are you doing here?"

He swooped down on her, and she gave a strangled shriek, managing to push herself back on her elbows. Her foot caught on the edge of the cloak, and she slipped, falling completely prone on her back.

"Don't hurt me!" she wailed. "Please, don't hurt me!"

The figure paused, regarding her with eyes she could not see. His voice sounded strange.

"Hurt you?"

"Please! I didn't mean to…I'm so sorry!"

"Blessed Sol, girl! I'm _trying_ to help you!"

Serenity felt her jaw drop in shock. No one had ever, _ever_ called her "girl." Always it had been "Princess" or "Your Highness." She had never before met someone who did not recognize her on sight.

He moved quicker this time, and in her surprise, Serenity did not react until it was too late. Suddenly he had her, trapped in his embrace, holding her with only one arm as he swung easily back onto his mount. Then they were moving, the horse at a full gallop, and all she could see was the lower part of his jaw.

_No beard, or mane,_ she noted distantly. _But just who does he think he is? Calling me _girl!_ Picking me up without even a _please,_ or an _excuse me!_ How dare he?_

"Let me go!" she commanded regally.

"No."

She gasped in rage. "_What_ did you say to me?"

"I thought I spoke fairly clearly. No, I will not let you go."

Serenity struggled to sit up. "You will, this instant! I _command_ you!"

A laugh rumbled through his chest and into her body. "_You_ command _me_? Do you know who I am, girl?"

"No, and I do not care! Release me, this instant! And don't call me girl!"

"And what will you do, little girl? Fall into another snow bank and freeze to death?"

"I _told_ you not to call me girl!"

"I didn't. I called you _little_ girl."

"Argh!"

Without thinking, she punched him in the chest. At least, she tried to. Only her fist connected not with flesh or muscle, but with hard metal.

"Ah!"

"Stop screaming!"

"That hurt!"

"Of course it did! You punched me in my armor!"

"Why are you wearing armor in the snow?"

"What does the snow have to do with wearing armor?"

"No one wears armor in the snow!"

"Well, that's just silly," he informed her calmly. "Terra's army always wears armor, and it's always snowing here. Now stop screaming! We're here."

Serenity craned her neck to look around. She saw a huge arch overhead as they passed under. Then came the sound of doors opening, and a blast of warm hair struck her through her thin gown. The doors made a resounding boom as they closed, severing any hope of escape.

"We're where?"

"The Palace, of course."

"My lord!"

The man's shout masked Serenity's sudden silence, and her rescuer/captor did not notice how rigid she became. His head turned towards the voice as though he had forgotten her. His free arm rose in greeting.

"Kunzite!"

"A fruitful hunting trip, I see!"

Again, that deep laugh sent shivers through Serenity. She found herself sliding deeper and deeper into her cloak, hoping this newcomer would not see her.

_A hunting trip? What do the people of Earth hunt?_

"A sad disappointment, actually. I found not a thing worth bringing home, just a chit too foolish to get out of the snow."

"A _girl,_ my lord? Out in the snow?" another voice called. "Sweet Terra, who is she?"

"Probably one of the maids," a third, bored voice announced. "We should lock them into their chambers. They're like kittens, either underfoot or wandering where they are not allowed."

"Oh!"

These words roused Serenity back to life. She began to kick and squirm, making "my lord" shout in alarm. He leaned down towards her, but she planted her hand on his face and pushed him roughly away. While he growled vague threats, she caught the pommel of his saddle and swung herself to the ground.

"Just who— Blessed Lady of the Moon!" Serenity spun back around, untangling her cloak and skirt from the stirrup of the now laughing man. "You shut up, this instant!"

His head fell back in mirth, completely ignoring her. She glared, straightened her gown, and spun back around in all the haughty glory of the Heiress of the Moon Kingdom. One small finger rose to point in terrible judgment on the young, golden haired man leaning in the doorway, grinning at her.

"Just who do you think you are?" Serenity demanded, advancing on him. "Lock up your maids, will you? What kind of a man are you? How _dare_ you speak of ladies in such terms?"

Her victim only smiled more widely. "You are mistaken, my dear. I speak of the maids, not ladies."

"My mother has always said that maids are as much ladies as princesses! They take care of you! They deserve your gratitude and your respect! They deserve your thanks more than some frivolous _lady_ throwing roses to catch some handsome idiot like you! And _stand up straight_ when I talk to you!"

The last came out with such regal rage that Serenity had the joy of seeing the strange young man snap up into a more erect stance, his shoulders thrust back and hands at his sides like a soldier. She stood before him with an expression as cold and distant as her mother when truly displeased. Then her head tilted a little to one side, and her nose wrinkled like a child's.

"_You_ don't have horns!"

"W_hat!_"

A burst of laughter and whoops filled the air. She turned to see three men now gathered around the black horse, the rider still astride, but tipping precariously to the side. All four men seemed completely overcome by hilarity, the one with the long dark curls wiping tears from his cheeks. Looking back, she found the fifth man chuckling, his stance a bit more relaxed.

"Well said, my lady," he murmured, closing the last few feet between them. "But who on Earth told you I had _horns!_'

"Oh, no!" Her hands flew up to her mouth, and she stared at him guiltily. "I didn't mean…I am so terribly sorry! Of course you do not have horns. You are very handsome, truly you are!"

A strange look flashed through his eyes, a sort of dangerous mischief she knew from the Princess of Uranus. She watched him with the same interest she showed the older Princess. His smile took on a new, inviting quality, and he leaned closer.

"Handsome? Truly?"

"Jadeite!"

The sharp command from the black horse's rider made the blond man sigh, and step back.

"Yes, my liege?"

"Enough of your games. Let the girl be."

_Girl?_

"I told you not to call me—!"

Serenity spun around to confront her captor, white gown and black cloak flaring out behind her dramatically, and almost fell over.

While she spoke with Jadeite, somehow his liege had silently moved up behind her. It was not his proximity which nearly toppled her. It was the startling shade of azure she found herself gazing into.

_Brighter than Mercury's. Deeper than Venus'. Just the same color as the seas of Earth. I would never have guessed he had…blue eyes._

"Don't let Jadeite get too close to you," he urged in a soft voice, a smile curling half his mouth. "Horns or no horns, he is not to be trusted around young women."

"I…I would not…I'm sorry."

The smile turned to a frown. "Are you alright?"

"I just…" She turned away quickly, her hands going to her face. They burned with the reawakening of her nerves, but she hardly noticed.

"What is it?"

He reached out, pulling her hands away from her face. His fingers felt soft as they held hers, and he gave her a look of wretched guilt.

"Here we have been making jokes, and you are half frozen. It is we who should apologize. Now please, don't cry!"  
Serenity shook her head. She could not tell this beautiful stranger the tears came not from pain in her hands, but a terrible throbbing in her heart. She felt confused, frightened, lost, all at once. One moment she had her feet under her, shouting at his brutish friend, and the next he knocked her off balance with nothing more than two amazing blue eyes.

_What is this? What's happening?_

"I want to go home," she whispered. "Please, let me go home."

"We will take you," the tall man with silver hair and platinum eyes promised. "Where are you from?"

"Not from here." This was a slender youth pushing back a long tale of burnished gold. "I do not recognize her."

"Nor I," Jadeite admitted. "Nephrite?"

"No. And I think I would remember."

"It does not matter," their lord informed them. "Before you go anywhere, you must warm up! What were you doing out there in nothing but a cloak?"

"I didn't know it would be so cold," she murmured faintly. "But please, my mother will be so worried! And my friends! Oh, they will yell at me so! They told me not to go! I have been so bad."

"No, no," Jadeite murmured, voice now consoling. "That is a simple thing to get around! They cannot scold you if they do not know you've come! We will simply sneak you right back to where you came from!"

"_After_ we get you warmed up," his master declared. "What would your mother think if we returned you looking like an ice maiden?"

"_Now!_" Serenity insisted. "Now, please!"

Even as she spoke, she turned on her heel and ran for the double doors. The men shouted in alarm as she managed to slide past each of them, and flung herself against the massive wooden structures. Neither budged.

"Let me out!" she cried, beginning to pound on the carved wood. "Let me out!"

"Endymion! Stop her, before she hurts herself!"

Two strong hands caught her wrists, and forced her to turn away from the doors. Those blue eyes held her more captive than his grip on her body. She shrunk back against the door, but did not try to pull away.

"Endymion?" she repeated slowly. "_You_ are Prince Endymion?"

His eyebrows rose. "You honestly didn't know?"

Slowly, Serenity shook her head.

"A proper blow to your confidence, my lord," Kunzite murmured, moving carefully up beside him. "Now, my dear lady, please try and calm yourself."

"Is it the room?" the blonde youth added. "Endymion, take her outside to the rose gardens! She can breathe there."

"Wise choice, Zoisite," Jadeite said.

"You don't have to sound surprised."

Endymion released one hand, but kept the other within his own. "Yes. Come with me to the rose gardens."

Serenity hesitated. "Will it be cold?"

"No. I promise."

She followed him as though in a dream. Her feet seemed light, like she floated instead of walked. She wondered briefly if she might be teleporting, it all felt so strange. A glance down, however, showed her body was still solid.

_What is this? I have never felt like this before._

"Here we are, my lady."

Serenity looked up, surprised. Had she taken more than five steps? It did not feel possible, yet, suddenly, she stood surrounded by the sweet smell of roses. Garnet blooms hung from emerald leaves, the barest trace of dew like diamonds on the petals.

"How lovely," she whispered, turning her head slightly to gaze around. "So warm, too. This is what I imagined all those years. This is what I have been yearning for. And now it seems…"

"What?"

She turned to look up into Endymion's beautiful eyes.

"Perfect."

He smiled, a full, complete smile without mockery or teasing. She realized he still held one of her hands. She did not want to ever pull it away.

"What is your name?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell you."

"It doesn't matter. I already know who you are."

Strange, but that did not frighten her as it should. "You do?"

He reached for her other hand. She gave it without question.

"Yes. I don't know your name, or where you come from, but I know you. I just don't know from where. Maybe…a dream?"

Serenity laughed. "That is impossible."

"How do you know?" he murmured, drawing her closer.

"Because then I would know you, too."

"Don't you?"

Endymion was so close she could see every star reflected, perfectly, in the blue sky of his eyes.

"Perhaps…"

He smiled again.

"Perhaps?" He raised one hand to his lips, kissing her fingers lightly. "Tell me your name, lovely lady."

"Seren—"

_Forbidden._

Like the tolling of dread bells, the word rang through her head. It marched before her eyes, scarlet as the roses. It seemed to cling to the air in the sickening sweet perfume of the flowers. It sent ice through her veins, and left the taste of bile in the back of her throat.

"No!"

Her hands loosed themselves, and she ran. The bushes took a sudden turn, and briefly she was tangled amongst the thorns. She yanked free of the black cloak, discarding it without a care. Down another row of roses, another turn, and she found herself under a great marble arch. High above, the silver Moon glowed invitingly.

_Home! Take me home! Now!_

The sound of Endymion's footstep followed her into the light of the teleport. A flash of silver light, and she was running through familiar white roses. She flung open the door to the maids' quarters, racing through the halls of the palace. Up the stairs, down the corridors, past Mercury's bedroom, Jupiter's bedroom, Mars' bedroom, Venus' bedroom, all the way to her own chamber she fled. She tore across the room, only to collapse on the bed.

_Blessed Selenity! What have I done?_


	4. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…_

_The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"_

…_Shrouded by the night…_

…_And by the secret stair I quickly fled…_

Sparkling azure. Flaming purple. Lightning green. Deep cerulean.

Four sets of eyes followed Serenity everywhere she went. Walking, eating, and, she felt sure, sleeping, her guardians watched her. Even in the garden, her sanctuary, she knew they lurked.

Five days before, she had done the unthinkable, and descended to the Earth. Five nights ago, she had lost herself to a man she did not know. For five nights, she lay sleepless for hours, blue eyes dancing before her own. His laugh rang in her ears, the deep murmur of his teasing like a caress across her skin. She bit her lip on the strange desires playing havoc with her heart, and tried not to imagine his mouth taking the place of her teeth.

She rolled over in bed, turning resolutely from the beautiful jewel of all her dreams. Silent tears wet the pillow. She held her breath for as long as she could to stifle the sobs, only letting them loose in a brief, ragged gasp before trying again. After what seemed an eternity, her eyes would stay closed, and she fell into a fitful sleep. Every morning she woke to the gentle touch of Venus' hand on her hair, and her concerned questions. But all faded away as she realized she faced the window, through which the Earth was rising.

On the sixth day she found herself alone in the garden with Venus. She sat on the ground, her head down slightly, while the other girl perched on the bench behind her, brushing her hair. Silence stretched between them for several long minutes, Venus' usual chattered subdued with concern. At last, the leader of the Princess' guardians gave a deep sigh.

"What is it, Serenity?"

Staring down at her white slippers, Serenity asked, "Venus…Orianna, have you ever been in love?"

She felt Venus start with surprise. As an unspoken rule for many years, Serenity only called her guardians by their given names in moments of intense intimacy. Using the name of the princess, and not the guardian, meant everything said would be completely secret, even from the Queen. All five girls held this as sacred law, and never had these confidences been betrayed.

"In love?" Venus murmured, pausing with the brush just above Serenity's hair. "Well…yes! I am in love with Duke Adonis! Father doesn't know it, but I kissed him at the last masquerade ball. I didn't know who he was at first, because he was wearing a white mask, but then he took it off and he looked so handsome! He's very rich, too! He promised me, when we were married, that he would make me a new tiara, this one with gold and diamonds!"

"You kissed him!" Serenity shrieked. "You never told us that!"

Venus giggled impishly. "He made me promise to keep it a secret. But when he has time away from getting ready for the envoy, we sneak off to his room. He's kissed me a lot more since that first time."

"And…you want to marry him?"

"Of course! I'm already eighteen, so all we need is father's blessing. After he goes down to Earth and brings them into the Moon court he will be one of Queen Serenity's council. Adonis says that father will be so impressed he may very well ask Adonis to marry me _himself_!"

Serenity stared ahead. "Why do you love him, Orianna?"

"He's so handsome, and father likes him, and he's a Duke of Venus, and he's funny, and very rich, and—"

"No!" Serenity snapped, twisting away irritably. "No, that isn't what I mean by love! I mean _in love!_ When…when your heart pounds just at the memory of his voice, and you can almost cry when you think of his blue eyes, because they were so beautiful, and so tender, and he did not mean to tease you when you were frightened! Oh, Orianna, you _don't_ understand!"

She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders drooping.

"Blue eyes?" Venus asked slowly. "Who is this, Serenity? What are you talking about?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does! Is this why you've been so sad?"

She nodded.

"Well, what's the matter?" Venus demanded. "Do you think your mother would disapprove?"

She groaned, and nodded again.

"Who is he? A commoner?"

Serenity laughed wildly. "No, no, he is most certainly not a commoner!"

"A guardsman? A servant?"

"No."

"Well, who? Is he a noble?"

"Yes…"

"From where? Mercury? Venus? Mars? Jupiter? Saturn? Are you really going to make me list them all off?"

"He isn't from anywhere you've ever been."

"Do I know him?"

"No."

Venus huffed a sigh. "Is he a lord? A soldier? A count?"

Serenity finally lifted her face, and looked over her shoulder at her friend. "He is a prince."

"A prince?" Venus tipped her head, confused. "But, Serenity, there are no princes in the Silver Millennium."

Serenity raised her eyebrows significantly.

"Well, there is Prince Endymion, but he's from Earth and oh, sweet Saturn's bloody rings of death, you didn't!"

Serenity shrugged. "I did."

"YOU WENT TO EAR—"

"VENUS!" Serenity shrieked. "Don't scream it!"

"How could you do such a thing?" Venus hissed, leaning forward to grasp her Princess's shoulders. "What were you _thinking?_"

"Not that I would fall in love!" Serenity moaned. "Oh, Venus, I'm in so much trouble!"

Venus sat back, her brow furrowed in concern. Her eyes drifted slowly around the dangling vines of flowers, her teeth worrying her lower lip. It was several minutes before she looked back at Serenity.

"And he doesn't have horns?"

Serenity burst out laughing. "No, oh no! He has black hair, darker than Mars', and blue eyes like you've never seen!"

"What's all this excitement about blue eyes?" Venus snapped. "_I_ have blue eyes! _Mercury_ has blue eyes! _YOU_ have blue eyes! How can you have lost your heart to blue eyes, Serenity? You might as well have fallen in love with Mercury, or me!"

"It's not just the color! He is so noble, and so gentle, and so very strong! He lifted me with one hand!"

"_Jupiter_ can lift you with one hand! She has! We've all seen it!"

"And even when he was making fun of me, his laugh just made my heart pound!"

"_Mars_ makes fun of you!"

"But he's…his hands are so beautiful!"

"_My_ hands are beautiful!"

Serenity frowned. "Are you even listening to me?"

"NO!" Venus groaned, putting her face in her beautiful hands. "Serenity! What are we going to do?"

"I don't know! That's why I need you!"

"I don't know either!"

"You have to know! You're the leader of the Senshi! You're the Goddess of Love!"

"I know! I also know that even communication between the Moon and the Earth is strictly _forbidden!_ As for the Princess of the Moon falling in love with the Prince of the Earth…it's a catastrophe waiting to happen!"

"Do you think I don't know all this?" Serenity whispered. "But it's too late, Orianna. Much too late. I'm in love. When I looked into his eyes, I knew, with the most clarity I ever knew _anything_, that my life would never be the same. I knew, before I even knew his _name,_ that without _this_ man I would be lonely forever. My heart knew it in an instant. It's just taken five days for it to get to my brain.

"That's why I have to see him again."

Venus jerked her head up. "Are you insane?"

"Maybe. But…I have to see him. If I don't, I _will_ go crazy!"

"Serenity—"

"Orianna!" She turned all the way around, rising up on her knees to take her friend's hands. "Please! I can't eat!"

"Serenity—"

"I can't sleep!"

"Serenity—!"

"I feel like…I can't breathe!" She dropped her face into Venus' lap. "My heart is breaking every second I can't see him!"

"But, Serenity…" Venus whispered. "How do you know he loves you, too?"

"I know. The way I know he is the only man I will ever love, I know. But I need to see him, to tell him the truth."

"Don't." Venus clutched her to her lap. "Don't go again, Serenity. It's just… it's just infatuation! It's nothing more than his handsome face! Don't go back down there!"

Blue eyes, brilliant with tears, rose to hers. "You won't help me?"

"Yes! Yes, I will help you! I am going to introduce you to so many handsome, wonderful men that you'll forget you ever went to the Earth! Within a month, this will all seem like a silly, childish fantasy. I promise you!"

Serenity shook her head. "How can you, of all people, say that to me?"

"Because I know men, Serenity. And I know love. And I know the heart. Trust in me."

She was destined to be proven disastrously wrong.


	5. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…_

_The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"_

…_The veil concealed my eyes…_

…_While all within lay quiet as the dead…_

Silence from the hallway. Serenity held her breath, her heart hammering even harder than it had just six nights before. Her excitement to return to Earth actually made her hands shake as she pushed back the covers.

Tiptoe, she moved towards her door. She lay one hand on it, then another. She could hear nothing. A gentle push…

"Serenity! Go back to bed!"

"Ah!"

She leapt back, glaring at the offensive door. On the other side Venus lurked, at the ready for any attempts to escape. The only consolation was the lack of any other Senshi. At least she had not broken the sacred oath of secrecy.

Sighing, Serenity dragged her feet as she moved back to her bed. She sat on the edge, kicking her bare feet and chewing on her lower lip. A glance at the window banished that possibility for escape. If she were Jupiter, or even Mars…but she was only the Princess of the Moon, and no good at climbing through windows and scaling down the castle.

"I wish I could just teleport from here."

She sat up straighter.

_Why not? I've never tried inside the castle…It's so close to Mother, but she's sleeping, she'll never know!_

Even more nervous, she slid of the edge of her bed. Her hair was spun up in moments. She carefully removed from under her bed the cloak she wore when visiting Mercury, a heavy garment of pale blue velvet and quilted satin. Next came the tall, white leather boots for the snow. Long gloves used for driving the Mercury sled teams finished her ensemble. She would take no chances with the cold this time. Then she moved to the window. One glance was cast to the door, uncertain, and then she turned away.

_I have to see him! Take me to him!_

That rush of joy, that overwhelming feeling of freedom, and suddenly she was silver light.

Her feet found solid ground, and she opened her eyes eagerly. Then she blinked. And blinked again. Then she frowned.

Veils of mist hung heavy in the air. Serenity squinted, trying to look around, but only found herself confronted with more shifting, swirling clouds of white. They hung on her dress when she moved, and forced their heavy way into her mouth as she tried to breathe.

_What…where am I?_

Panic filled her. Could she have landed somehow on Pluto? Had the Timekeeper caught her, brought her here for some punishment?

Then the heat finally made itself known, pricking sweat from her brow and neck. She groped blindly for the catch of her cloak. Her fingers became damp quickly in their thick gloves, and these followed her cloak off. She almost let the garments drop to the ground as she tried to breathe deeply in the humid air. A lifetime of being a Princess in front of the solar system kept them in her arms.

Still, she could see nothing. Then she heard the sound of a splashing, off to her right. She took several careful steps in that direction, her hands trying to cut through the vapors.

"Kunzite? Is that you?"

His voice almost made her heart stop. Serenity bit down on an exclamation of joy, hurrying forward several steps in his direction. Very dimly she began to see an outline of a body.

"Kunzite, where have you been? Father must have been talking to you for hours! What could you have been saying?"

"Yes, because your father has ever been at a loss for words, Endymion."

"Shut up, Jadeite."

_Oh, dear. Those other men are with him! I didn't think of that. Well, they were very kind last time, even that Jadeite, in a way. There can be no harm…_

"Kunzite? What is it?" The voice was younger than the rest, probably that of Zoisite. "Blessed Sol, has the King cramped your jaw shut?"

A burst of male laughter issued from the figures floating in the vapors before her. Serenity hesitated further, suddenly shy. When she spoke to Venus it seemed so obvious that he must love her, too. But now, with him so close, doubt began to eat at her mind and heart.

"Kunzite! Don't be sullen!" The charming, cheerful voice must be that of dark haired Nephrite. "We are only teasing!"

"That's it!" Endymion added. "If you're going to sulk…"

_Huh?_

She did not understand the danger in the sound of splashing water. Suddenly, a dark shape loomed out of the mist, directly in front of her. He moved towards her…she took three eager steps forward…

Blue eyes stared down into hers in wonder, and all her doubts shattered.

"Oh!" he whispered. "It's you!"

Serenity smiled. "Yes."

"Endymion?"

His head turned slightly towards his friend's voice, and she let her gaze shift. His face, carved so beautifully of marble, like some young god, and his bare shoulders…and bare chest…and bare…

"KYAH!"

Serenity's hands flew up over her eyes, and she backed up several steps, shrieking, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Which was the exact moment Endymion realized just how very naked he was. Yelping with a complete lack of heroism, she heard him stumble back several steps, then a loud splash.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Sweet Terra, Endymion, are you all right!"

"Oh, I am so sorry!"

"Blessed Sol, that hurt!"

"What in the name of—"

"Damnation! Why is there a shrieking woman in the Prince's Royal Bath!"

"Hehehe, Endymion, you dog. But you know your mother wouldn't approve of maids in the bath."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm—What is your _obsession_ with the maids!"

Dead silence followed this, then an uncertain voice.

"My lady?"

"Yes, of course!" Serenity snapped. "As if Endymion would have maids in the bath, Jadeite! Honestly!"

"Endymion, why does she suddenly sound like my sister?"

"Ow!"

"Oh, Endymion!" she cried, her hands clenched in front of her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I think so. Just, uh, haha! Just stay where you are, please, my lady."

"And how does it make more sense that a lady would be found in your bath than a maid?"

"Jadeite, _will_ you shut up?"

"Has he ever?"

The drawling voice behind Serenity made her jump and gasp. Spinning around, she found herself face to face with a, fortunately, completely attired Kunzite. He smiled down at her and offered his hand.

"My Prince, with your permission, I will take the lady outside while you, um, make yourself more presentable."

"Yes, thank you, Kunzite!" her beloved groaned. "Oh, my foot!"

After several bewildering moments in the fog, a door suddenly opened before them with a rush of cool air. Serenity found herself in a long stone corridor that seemed to stretch on endlessly in either direction. The walls were decorated with beautiful tapestries, just as fine as the one her mother brought her from Jupiter for her last birthday. In sconces at equal intervals were white wax candles.

"Candles?" Serenity mused. "Goodness, do you use _wax candles?_"

Kunzite looked down at her, raising one eyebrow slightly.

"Of course. What do you use in your home, my lady?"

"Not _candles!_"

A sympathetic smile turned up his lips. "Torches, then? Well, not everyone can afford candles. This _is_ the Palace, so you must allow for a little more luxury than you might be used to."

Her mouth opened automatically, ready to explain, in detail, the elegant glasswork of Neptune, and the ingenious lighting techniques of Mercury, both of which Queen Serenity combined to illuminate the entire palace. But her mouth closed, words unsaid. She would entrust the secret of her true identity to Endymion, because she could not believe him capable of betraying her. But this Kunzite was so cold, and so distant. She did not know if she could trust him.

"Yes," she finally said. "It is a very lovely Palace. From what I've seen of it."

Kunzite chuckled low in his throat. "I am glad you approve, my lady."

"Oh, I didn't mean…Um, should I be here? If Prince Endymion wants to get by me to, uh, dress—"

"The Prince has a door from the bath to his bedchamber. There is another door from the bedchamber to his personal suite, which leads to the hall just around the corner."

"Oh, really? Where?" She blanched. "Not that I would ever need to know how to get into the Prince's bedchamber! I don't, I wouldn't, that is…Oh, dear."

A full laugh burst from his throat, and his smirk turned into a true smile. He rested his hand on top of her head, very much the same way the Princess of Uranus did when telling Serenity she was adorable.

"My lady, you are lovely when you blush like that."

She sighed. "I must seem very strange to you right now."

"Not at all. You seemed very strange when we first met you, too."

There came the sound of hurried footsteps, then Endymion rounded the corner, fastening the last buttons of a black jacket. He ran a hand through his damp hair, leaving it in an adorably rumpled mess. Serenity bit her lip on a smile.

He stopped suddenly, several feet away. His lips curved up into an answering smile.

"Hello."

Serenity laughed.

"Hello."

Kunzite stepped back, bowing to both.

"Goodbye."

Serenity and Endymion watched as he strolled back the way his Prince had come. A moment later there was a burst of unhappy voices.

"Oh, come on, Kunzite!"

"Just a peak!"

"Endymion, take notes!"

"Move it, you three!"

Endymion winced. "I suppose I should apologize for my guardians."

"Oh, not at all. It's what mine would have done."

"Your…guardians?"

Serenity started, eyes wide. "Er, no. I meant my friends."

"Oh."

The two stood, smiling at one another for a long moment. Then Endymion cleared his throat, shifting from foot to foot. Serenity began chewing on her lower lip, her hands clasping tightly on her skirt. He switched from shifting to bouncing on the balls of his feet. They continued smiling.

"Take her to the gardens, idiot!"

"Jadeite!"

"I'm comin', I'm comin'."

Endymion closed his eyes, his lips moving in silence. Serenity watched, frowning. He seemed to be counting backwards. At last he smiled and opened his eyes again.

"Would you like to take a walk in the gardens, my lady?"

Serenity burst into a crystalline peal of laughter. "Yes, my lord. That would be nice."

"Thank you!"

"JADEITE!"

Serenity kept laughing, taking the arm Endymion offered gallantly and allowing him to lead her through the corridors. A little less lightheaded than last time, she noticed the passing of time somewhat more realistically, but could not have found her way back to his bath if her life depended on it. The candles, the stones, the tapestries, all blurred around her as an insignificant backdrop to that beautiful face, and those brilliant blue eyes.

The soft, warm air of a lovely night swept her up as they stepped outside, and she turned immediately to take both Endymion's hands in hers. He held them tightly, but carefully, raising first the left, then the right, to his lips for kisses. Again and again his lips brushed her fingers.

"I was afraid you had disappeared forever, my love."

_Love! I was right, Venus! Oh, my love…_

"Endymion," she whispered. "Endymion."

"Will you tell me your name at last, lovely lady?"

"Yes. Yes, I will. But please, come further into the garden. I don't want to be seen, or overheard. I have so much to tell you, so much to explain."

He gave her a worried look. "Is something the matter? Do you need help?"

Serenity laughed, a bit hysterically. "Yes, I do!"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Not here. Please, can't we go somewhere secluded? I want to be sure we are alone."

He nodded. "Yes. Follow me."

Still holding one hand, Endymion drew her deeper and deeper into the maze of roses. She felt lost, turned around, and confused, almost trapped by the towering walls of greenery and blossoms. Then she looked ahead at the outline of his strong face, and knew she was safe.

At last they came to a small arch, vines of roses crawling up either pillar to meet at the top and dangle down. Underneath, Serenity spotted a small bench, just big enough for two people to sit close side-by-side. Endymion sank down, and pulled her beside him.

"Now, why all the secrecy? What is it that you are afraid to let anyone know?"

"Not you! I'm not afraid of you, Endymion! It's just that the others, Kunzite and Jadeite and Zoisite and Nephrite, they might not understand. They might think I tried to trick you, and I didn't! I never meant to meet you at all! I'm happy I did, so happy I could cry, but also so sorry."

"Sorry?" Endymion murmured. "Why sorry?"

"Because I may very well have put you in danger, just by falling in love with you!"

Slowly, a smile spread over his face. "I would face any danger just to hear you say you love me again!"

"You might not think so after you know the truth."

"Well? What is the truth, my mysterious love?"

She lowered her head, afraid to meet his eyes.

"Come now," he urged gently. "You promised to tell me your name."

"My name…" She took a deep breath, and made the plunge. "My name is Serenity."

Endymion laughed a little. "That is so strange! Did you know, that is the name of the Queen of the Moon?"

"Yes. I am named for her."

"How odd of your parents!" he murmured. "Most would be afraid of incurring the wrath of the Moon by invoking that name."

"The 'wrath of the Moon'?" Serenity echoed blankly.

"Of course." Endymion raised his eyebrows slightly. "The Queen Serenity is so above us—"

"Oh, no!" she cried. "No, she does not ever mean to be! She is good, and gentle, and kind to everyone, from the maids to the rulers of the other worlds!"

"Now how would you know that?" Endymion asked in a teasing voice.

Serenity stood up from the bench and came around to stand in front of him. Taking the edges of her long white skirt, she dropped an elegant court curtsy.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Endymion of Earth. I am Serenity, Princess of the Moon Kingdom, Heiress of the Silver Millennium, and Guardian of the Silver Imperium Crystal."

Endymion stared at her mutely, his expression calm.

She straightened and looked at him with all the regal grace of a Princess. "Now you know the truth."

Silence.

"Prince Endymion?"

…

"Endymion?"

…

"Are you alright?"

…

"Oh, dear."

She sighed, and returned to her seat beside him. Her concern doubled when he did not turn to follow her, but continued staring straight ahead.

"Endymion? Would you…would you like me to leave?"

He jerked as though shocked by one of Jupiter's bolt, and twisted around to look at her. "What? No! I just… are you sure?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Are you sure? That you are the Princess, I mean. Are you sure you are the Princess of the Moon Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"And the Heiress of the Silver Millennium?"

"Yes."  
"And the Guardian of the…the what, exactly?"

"The Silver Imperium Crystal. It's…hard to explain. But, yes."

"And the granddaughter of the gods?"

"The _what_?"

Endymion looked equally surprised. "Isn't your mother the daughter of the Goddess of the Moon?"

"No! I don't think so. My grandmother died a very long time ago, but I don't think she was a goddess. I think Mother would have mentioned it."

"Yes, I suppose she would have." He sighed, glancing down at his hands. "Well, this is a bit problematic."

"I thought you might think so," she admitted.

"I doubt very much your mother will approve of me. You must be courted by so many people of your own Court!"

"But I don't like them!" Serenity wailed. "I mean, I do _like_ them! Sir Eluves is very kind, and very handsome, and Lord Furor is so very funny, and also very handsome—"

Endymion's face darkened somewhat. "Who and who?"

"Oh, Eluves is the half-brother of the Princess of Neptune, and Furor is the cousin of the Princess of Mars, and they are both very nice, but…I don't want to marry them. They only want to marry me because I will someday be Queen!"

Endymion sighed, looking down at his hands. "The future Queen of the Moon cannot have a King from Earth."

Serenity's eyes flew open wide. "Why not!"

"Because…we are not even part of your Court, Serenity. Contact between the Moon and the Earth is forbidden!"

She looked away. "That is what Venus said."

"Well, he was right."

She laughed weakly. "She. I meant Orianna, Princess of Venus. She is the head of my guardians, the Sailor Senshi."

She felt his hands, warm on her shoulders. "I don't want to see you sad, Serenity. I would do anything to make you smile. But this…this is not good for either of us. You must know that."

"I love you, Endymion."

He sighed. "That's not playing fair."

"I know. I'm sorry. But I love you."

"I love you, too, Serenity. Which is why…I don't think you should come here again."

She drooped, defeated. "If that is what you want…"

"No. But it is what is best for you."

She lifted her head slowly to face him, looking up into his brilliant blue eyes. "Endymion…will you kiss me?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"It's just…I've never been kissed. I turn eighteen soon, and I will be eligible to be married. At my wedding, some other man will kiss me. I would like, very much, for you to kiss me before anyone else."

Endymion smiled gently. "I would like that very much, too."

Serenity sat up straighter, titling her face towards his. Then she paused, uncertain, waiting for him to move.

Endymion reached forward, sweeping her hair back over one shoulder. He paused to run his fingers across her forehead, then traced one eyebrow down to the line of her cheek. His touch moved under her eye and down her nose to outline her trembling lips. Then he took her face very gently in both hands, and closed the minimal distance between them.

Serenity shut her eyes, partly out of fear, partly out of shyness. Her breath caught when his lips first touched hers. He was soft, tender, careful as he applied the lightest pressure on her mouth. A brush of a touch slowly deepened, his lips moving against hers, and then with hers. She reached for his shoulders, then put her arms around his neck, pulling him insistently closer. A tiny whimper of longing came from her throat, her fingers twining in his black locks.

Then his mouth disappeared, and her lips felt cold. She had never felt as lonely as she did when she rose from that bench. His hands lingered on hers for a moment before letting her go.

"Goodbye, my lovely Princess," Endymion whispered.

"Goodbye, my gentle Prince."

She held his eyes as she became nothing more than light, held his gaze until she found herself in her own garden.

This time she walked slowly into the Palace, her feet dragging up the stairs. She did not even try to sneak down the hall to her bedchamber. She paused, watching Venus sleeping against the door, then turned and opened another door. She walked across the soft carpet, pausing only to take off her boots. Then she pushed back the red curtains, pulled back the covers, and crawled in beside Mars.

"Uh…Serenity?" the other Princess groaned. "What are you doing? What's wrong?"

"Mars..." Serenity dropped her face onto her Senshi's stomach. "Sholeh! I want to die!"

At last the tears came. She sobbed and sobbed, her friend holding her in shaking arms. She cried so hard she could not answer any of Mars' questions, nor the questions of the others as they hurried into the room at the sounds of her weeping. She shook her head and moaned in almost animal pain.

More warm arms came around her. Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus lay down around Serenity, their embraces tangled with Mars', and held her as she cried herself into a fitful sleep.

Below, on the surface of the forbidden planet, the Crown Prince entered the outer room of his suite. His four guardians sat around a table, cards in hand, gold coins piled in the center. They turned to him with expectant grins.

"Well?" Jadeite prompted.

Endymion began work on his jacket buttons, not meeting their gazes. "She is gone. She will not be coming back. Forget you ever saw her."

He turned away, walking into his bedroom and closing the door.


	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…_

_The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"_

…_Oh night, thou was my guide…_

…_Oh night, more loving than the rising sun…_

"Serenity!"

Again, those four pairs of eyes stared down at her with concern. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter gathered around her bed, pleading with her to get up. She stared past them at the wall and said nothing.

"How could you have gone down there?" Mars demanded, her voice harsh with worry. "You could have gotten in so much trouble! You could have gotten _killed_!"

"Mars," Jupiter murmured. "Not now."

"No, Jupiter!" Mars snapped. "Now! If you had just used your head for once—!"

"I think she's sorry enough," Mercury whispered. "Oh, Serenity, don't cry!"

Serenity blinked, surprised. She had not noticed she was crying. After so many tears, what were a few more?

"Mars," she breathed. "Go away. All of you go away."

"No."

Mars sat down on the edge of her bed. "We're not going anywhere until you say something."

"I already said go away."

Jupiter dropped beside Mars. "We're not leaving."

Venus and Mercury looked at each other, then joined the other two. "We're staying," Venus added.

Serenity rolled away. "Do whatever you want."

"Fine!"

Before she could figure out what Mars meant, the covers were jerked away. She yelped, then found her hands seized at the wrist. Someone else grasped her ankles, and suddenly she was not on the bed. Upside down, she saw Mercury and Venus' surprised faces, and Mars' knees.

"What are you _doing_?"

Without answering, Jupiter and Mars carried her across the room. There came the crack of someone kicking a door open, and then she was inside a pale blue marble room. Understanding struck.

"Mars! Jupiter! Don't you daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare!"

She was airborne, and then warm water closed over her head. She thrashed about for a second, her skirt tangling with her arms and making it impossible to swim. Then she saw bubbles floating by, and followed them up. Her head broke through the surface just in time to hear shouting.

"—can't just throw her into the _bath!_"

"She's out of bed, isn't she?"

"MARS!"

"VENUS!"

"Stop yelling, you two!"

"She is not going to rot there in that bed in a pile of depression! What good is that going to do anyone?"

"Mars, if you ever had an ounce of romance—"

"You've got enough for all of us!"

"Would you two stop it?"

"NO!"

Serenity floated in the warm water, watching her four best friends shouting at one another without a glance towards her. Heaving a resigned sigh, she began kicking her way towards the edge of the bath. Mercury turned towards the sound, and shrieked.

"Serenity! Give me your hand!"

Their Princess struggled to them, her legs working twice as hard against the waterlogged skirt. Mars looked down at her without apology, but leaned past Mercury to offer her own hand.

"Well, come on!"

Serenity reached up, grasping Mars' hand. Then she threw her whole weight back, and had the satisfaction of seeing her guardian fly over her head and into the depths of the bath. A vicious smile curved her lips, and she treaded water, waiting for Mars to reappear.

Black hair floated to the surface, then a pair of violet eyes rose. They found Serenity, fixed in a vindictive glare as her whole head came up. Both arched bows moved slowly up her forehead.

"That was not a good idea."

"Uh, Mars?" Mercury began. "Calm down a little."

"KYAH!"

Mars lunged, a tidal wave of warm water preceding her attack on her Princess. Serenity dove beneath the water, letting Mars soar past her. Her fingers caught the fiery princess's ankle, and she struggled deeper, towing her friend along.

Mars twisted, suddenly surging up in front of Serenity's eyes. She grappled with her fingers, trying to pry herself free, but Serenity shook her head and held on with both hands. Mars kicked out with her other foot, catching the smaller girl in the stomach. In return, Serenity yanked her leg closer, and bit her on the shin.

A bubble of surprise exploded from Mars' mouth as the Princess of the Moon, Heiress of the Silver Millennium, and Guardian of the Silver Imperium Crystal latched onto her leg with her teeth. Only stunned for a moment, she caught at Serenity's arms with her sharp nails, drawing long red welts down her fragile white flesh.

Serenity growled, the sound muffled and surreal under water. Her lungs ached for air, and her head felt funny. Still she held on, determined to out-stubborn Mars just this once.

Her eyes flew open wide as a strong hand seized one silver bun and began to pull. She saw an equally shocked look on Mars' face, and fingers tangled in her dark locks. They both released each other as they were yanked to the surface.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Jupiter glared at both of them, her dark hair damp around her angry face.

"What are you two doing!"

"She—!"

"No, she—!"

"Stop it!" Venus ordered, floating just behind Jupiter. "This is ridiculous!"

Mercury, beside their leader, nodded. "You two are behaving like children!"

The two drenched princesses pointed at each other, chorusing, "But _she_—!"

"What in all the solar system is _going on!_"

Very slowly, five young women turned to the door of the bathroom. Five girls sank lower into the water, cheeks flaming with shame. There, in all her elegant glory, stood a stunned Queen Serenity.

"What are all of you _doing_?"

"Ah, ha-ha!" Serenity tried. "Morning, Mama."

The Queen looked anything but amused.

"Come out of there this instant!"

There was a universal gulp, but the Senshi and their charge slowly made their way out of the bath. Jupiter, the first to the edge, heaved herself out, then turned to help Mercury and Mars. They, in turn, gave their hands to Venus and Serenity, respectively.

Then the five princesses of the inner solar system lined up in front of their Queen, smiling weakly.

Queen Serenity looked each over, her eyes coming to a sudden stop on the bite gushing blood down Mars' leg. Her silver brows rose sharply, and she gave Mars a startled look.

"Mars…have you been bit?"

"Uh…no, Your Majesty. It's just a scrape…from when I fell in the bath."

"And I take it those are not scratches on my heir's arms?"

"No, no Mama! Just some more scrapes."

The Queen sighed. "Alright. But I suggest none of you go for another swim in your uniforms, or your nightgown, Serenity. And I don't expect to see anymore _scrapes._ Understood?"

"Yes, Majesty."

"Yes, Mother."

The Queen shook her head, then turned towards the door. Over her shoulder she called, "I also expect to see all of you at the dressmaker's in ten minutes. You all need to get measured for your gowns for Serenity's birthday ball."

With these last words she floated out the door and disappeared.

Silently, the five girls eyed each other uncertainly.

"Well," Mars broke the silence, "we'd better dry up. I can't imagine Luna's face if we went traipsing through the palace looking like this. Come on."

She reached for Serenity's arm, but started as her Princess twisted away.

"For the last time, Sholeh, leave me alone!"

Mars glared, putting her hands on the wet waist of her uniform. "What is the matter with you?"

"Haven't you heard a single thing I've said?" Serenity cried. "Any of you? My heart is breaking! Doesn't that matter to you?"

"How can your heart be breaking over someone you've only met twice in your life?" Mars shot back.

Serenity shook her head. "I don't know! But it is! It hurts more than I ever knew anything could hurt! And I'm not going to forget him just because you introduce me to handsome men, or because you get angry with me! I'm never going to forget him, never, and it's going to hurt until I die!"

She flung herself past them all into her room. "And I hope that death comes soon, because I can't take this anymore!"

The door slammed closed between Serenity and her guardians. Only then did she let the tears come again.


	7. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…_

_The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"_

…_Oh night, that joined the lover…_

…_To the beloved one…_

The dress was a thing of beauty, a masterpiece by an artist and worked of the finest white silk. The trailing satin ribbons rose around her as Serenity turned a little in front of the mirror. Then they settled about her slender form, clouds floating slowly down to grace an angel.

_Endymion would love this…_

The smile died in her eyes, though she kept it bravely on her lips. One week, the longest week of her life, had passed since she last saw those blue eyes on her. She found over the days that she had not lied to her Senshi. The pain did not lessen, but grew with every terrible beat of her heart.

Almost worse was the cold silence between herself and her friends. Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter had all approached her, but she brushed them away without listening to what they had to say. Mars refused to go to her, merely sitting mutely at her side during meals, eyes straight ahead, face a mask of ice. Still, the distance was taking its toll on her as well. Every day she looked more tired and distracted.

Serenity stared into her own eyes in the mirror, watching the soft blue begin to melt. She did not want to cry anymore. She did not want to hurt her friends, either. She wanted them to sit with her, hold her and dry her tears like they always did before. She wanted them to comfort her.

_But if they do…if it doesn't hurt so much anymore…does that mean it wasn't real? Does that mean it was just an infatuation, like they all said?_

_I don't want this hurt to go away. It's all I have left of him._

"You look beautiful."

She turned to see her mother in the doorway, watching her with wistful eyes.

"Thank you, Mama."

Queen Serenity glided into the room to stand behind her daughter, looking over her head into the mirror. Her hands rose to lay softly on Princess Serenity's bare shoulders, and her eyes smiled into the mirror. Her child smiled back, her fingers covering her mother's.

"Well, here is something I haven't seen in awhile, little princess. A real smile."

Serenity looked down. "I don't know what you mean."

"You and your Senshi are not speaking, you always look about to burst into tears…what is it, darling?"

"It's…nothing."

The Queen sighed, moving to wrap her arms around her daughters shoulders in a gentle embrace. "Nothing? Does nothing have a name?"

Serenity watched her mother's eyes nervously in the mirror. "A name?"

"You don't have to tell me. Will you at least tell me if he feels the same way as you do?"

"I don't know what you—"

"My love, I am your mother. Did you think I wouldn't figure it out?"

Serenity began to breathe faster. "Are you angry?"

"That you are in love? Far from it. I wish you would trust me with this secret, but I understand, if you're not sure of his love for you."

"That's not it. I know he loves me. He told me so."

"Then what's wrong? Are you afraid I won't approve?"

Serenity shook her head. "I think you would like him very much."

The Queen propped her chin on her daughter's shoulder. "Do the Senshi not like him, then?"

"They do not know him."

"I admit, love, you have me stumped. Why the tears? Why the fighting? What is the matter?"

Serenity closed her eyes. "I can't tell you! You would be so angry with me!"

"What if I promise not to be?" he mother whispered. "You're hurting, Serenity. I want to help!"

"I can't, Mama! I just can't!"

"Alright. I won't ask anymore. But make peace with your Senshi, darling. They love you, and they want to help you, no matter what."

Serenity opened her eyes, but looked to the side. "I'm afraid, Mama."

"Don't be," he mother whispered. "We are all with you. And we love you. We want you to be happy."


	8. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…_

_The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"_

…_Transforming each of them into the other…_

Her eyes snapped open on a gasp. Serenity sat straight up in bed, the sheets clutched to her chest. Her heart pounded and her whole body trembled with unexplainable energy.

"Endymion?"

She looked around wildly, as though the Prince would somehow be in her bedchamber. Her eyes flickered from her mirror to her wardrobe, from the door to the bath to the high window, almost without recognition. She was alone in the room.

"What?"

Serenity swallowed hard, trying to bring her breathing back under control. A hand rose to her forehead, and she let out a little sigh. Her shoulders slumped in relief.

"I thought…"

Her hands rose to her ears. Her eyes closed, savoring the echo from her dream. The echo of a voice, whispering her name.

"Endymion… what are you doing now?" she whispered, opening her eyes to gaze longingly out the window. "Are you thinking of me? Do you still call me your love? Or am I just a strange memory, a dream better forgotten?"

Her head fell forward, the ever present tears gathering on her lashes. She was so tired, of crying, of hurting, of explaining herself, of looks of pity, of being alone. She wanted to hold someone, to be held by someone, to be needed, to need.

She wanted…

"What would you do, Mama?"

The answer came to her, blinding and clear. She could see her mother's face, so happy and so sad at the memory of her dead husband. She could hear her voice, always saying the same thing.

"Little princess, when you are in love, truly in love, nothing can keep you apart. Not time, not space, not disapproving nobles or gossiping maids. I faced them all when I fell in love with your father, and I rode them all down, and I never regretted it. Not for a second."

_Nothing will keep me from you. I will never regret you…because I will be at your side._

She was out of her bed and moving across the room before she knew what she was doing. It took her more time to choose a dress than to decide to break every law and reason she knew. She would go to her prince. She would argue, shout, weep, kiss him until he relented.

She would love him till she died.

White silk, soft as a whisper and light as moon glow, encased her slender form. She brushed her hair, tied it up high, and wrapped the soft ribbons of her slippers around her ankles. She stared into the mirror, holding her breath.

_I'm coming, my prince._

Joy and light, and she was surrounded by warmth and the smell of roses. She opened her eyes to stare into beautiful azure.

"Serenity!"

She laughed, and without giving him a moment to think, leapt into his embrace, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Either too surprised or too pleased to wonder at this sudden appearance, Endymion eagerly returned her kiss. She felt his hands at her waist, in her hair, stroking up and down her back. Her own fingers twisted in his black locks, holding on for all she was worth.

"Oh, Endymion."

"NO!"

Serenity reluctantly opened her eyes as he thrust her away, his breathing ragged, his face pained. He kept his hands on her shoulders as he glared.

"We agreed we could not do this, Serenity."

She laughed again.

"I changed my mind."

"But…Serenity…we are both in danger if you stay here!"

She looked hard into his eyes. "Are you afraid for yourself?"

"No, of course not! That's not—"

"I'm not afraid for myself, either. So don't worry."

"Serenity, I hardly think—"

"As Venus would say," she rose onto her toes, "you think too much."

No man can argue when the only woman he ever loved is in his arms and attempting to kiss him senseless. Endymion decided to pick his battleground better for his next attack, and was willing to bide his time by lifting Serenity off the ground once again and answering her passion with his own.

They were lost in their embrace, in the feel, taste, scent, sound of one another. Serenity could not have said how she wound up on the bench again, the bench where she had said goodbye to her prince what seemed an eternity ago. She did not care, so long as those warm arms were around her, those lips tracing every feature of her face with the lightest of caresses.

"I love you," he breathed. "I should not. It is against everything…we are breaking so many laws… you are so far beyond me…"

"No. I am right here. I will always be…right here. And I will always love you."

"Serenity."

"Endymion."

"Sh! Be quiet!"

Both jumped, heads whipping around. Endymion caught her by her wrist as he rose hastily, pushing her behind him. Serenity gaped, mouth working, trying to form words as her lover looked around with suddenly fierce eyes. He shook his head uncertainly.

"I don't recognize that voice," he murmured. "Serenity, stay here."

His hand went to his side, then reappeared with a sword. Serenity gasped, grasping his arm.

"No! Endymion—!"

"Stay here!" he ordered firmly. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not! It's just that—"

Two voices filled the night, a slightly familiar man's, and a very, _very _familiar woman's.

Tangled together, two forms rounded the corner, locked in some kind of struggle. Endymion stepped back, forcing Serenity further behind him, and raised his weapon.

"Halt!"

Both sprang away from each other and spun around. For a second laughter hung on their faces, and eagerness in their eyes. Then something like embarrassed guilt took its place.

"Nephrite!"

"My lord!"

"Jupiter!"

"Princess!"

The four stared at each other, breaking one astonished gaze only to form another. Heat flamed in both women's cheek, while Nephrite winced and Endymion flustered. Tension mounted in the still air.

"Um, oh dear," Jupiter whispered. "Serenity, I can explain."

"Please do," Endymion demanded.

"Oh!" Serenity cried. "Yes. Of course. Prince Endymion, this is the Princess of Jupiter. One of my guardians."

Jupiter, blushing even hotter, curtsied. "Hello."

"Um…hello."

He bowed, then raised his eyebrows at Nephrite.

"And what exactly are you two doing…_together_?"

"We…"

"Oh, well, we…"

Serenity leaned forward and gasped. "Jupiter, what's happened? You're bruised! There, on your neck!"

Her hand flew to her neck, and she offered nothing more than a squeak.

"Ah…haha…" Nephrite covered his face with one hand. "Is there any way to just make the Earth open up and swallow me?"

Endymion, however, looked suddenly more relaxed. He put his sword away and offered his friend a lopsided grin. "I see."

"You see what?" Serenity asked. "What's going on?"

He patted her shoulder. "I'll explain later. But it seems that our friends have met before."

"Well, you see," Jupiter began in a rush, "I was worried, Serenity, and I thought maybe I could speak with Endymion, and I came down here, and I met Nephrite, I mean Lord Nephrite, and we started talking, and he said he'd like to help, I didn't tell him who I was right away of course, just that I was your friend, but later, well, I felt like I could trust him, please don't be angry, and we talked more, and we were trying to figure out what to do to help you, and we talked...again…and—"

"Yes, thank you, Princess," Endymion interrupted. "So you and Nephrite have been meeting on the sly."

"Well, yes, but… oh please, Prince, Princess, don't be angry!"

"Angry that you were trying to help me?" Serenity asked.

"Well, that, and…" Jupiter looked at Nephrite, who looked back at her. Slowly, they both smiled.

"Oh!" Serenity giggled wildly. "Oh! I see! Oh, Mars is not going to like this!"

"Sweet Selene! Serenity! Jupiter!"

Both princesses turned, and their jaws dropped. In unison they cried, "Mercury!"

Nephrite and Endymion, equally shocked, shouted, "Zoisite!"

The new couple were too stunned to release each other's hands. They did not even seem to notice until four sets of eyes dropped to their linked fingers. Then they leapt apart, but too late.

"Unbelievable," Serenity breathed. Then she began to laugh. "Oh, Blessed Lady of the Moon! This is…just unbelievable!"

"Are you two…holding hands?" Jupiter whispered loudly.

"NO!" both shouted.

"You were," Serenity pointed out between giggles.

"Um…" Mercury looked quickly at Zoisite, who returned the glance with an equally intense one. "The roses _are_ a maze. Zoisite, Lord Zoisite, that is, did not want me to get lost."

"Mercury, for a genius, you are a terrible liar," Jupiter told her. "_You_ were _holding hands_! With a _man_!"

"Of course with a man!" the blue haired princess snapped back. "If I'm going to hold hands it is going to be with a man! I'm not Uranus!" She stopped, and shrugged. "Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm sure…well, I've held Uranus' hand before, and it's rather like holding a man's, but more like my brother than Lord Zoisite's and oh, dear, I think I'm babbling."

Zoisite smiled, touching her cheek. "Yes, love."

"_Love?_" Endymion and Nephrite shouted.

"_LOVE?_" Serenity and Jupiter shrieked.

"Who loves who?" Venus asked.

Silence.

Kunzite, slightly behind Venus, gave her a bemused look. "I thought you did _not_ want to be seen, Orianna."

All three other princesses gasped.

"What…did you…call her?" Jupiter whispered.

Kunzite raised a single eyebrow. "Orianna. Is that not her name?"

"It is," Mercury murmured, "but…no one ever calls her that but us! And only when we are entirely alone!"

"Well, I couldn't introduce myself as the Princess of Venus right away!" the golden haired Senshi snapped. "And then it just kind of…stuck."

"What _should_ I call you?" Kunzite demanded.

"Most call me Princess, or Venus," she said, looking up with a little smile. Her face softened slightly. "But…I don't mind if you call me Orianna."

"Does Adonis call you Orianna?" Serenity asked, frowning.

Venus started, her eyes frosting over slightly. "He's not here, is he?"

"What does Adonis have to say to anything?" Mercury asked Jupiter.

"Who in the hell is Adonis?" Nephrite cried. "What are we all talking about? And what are _you two_," he pointed between Mercury and Venus, "doing here?"

"I was worried about the Princess," Mercury started, "so I came to talk to Prince Endymion—"

Endymion raised his hand. "Never mind, Princess Mercury. Princess Jupiter told us already."

"But I never told her that I was here."

"I think you were all here for the same reason," he muttered wryly. "Though I notice at least Princess Venus and Kunzite are not holding hands, or bearing questionable bruises."

"Bruises?" Mercury glanced curiously at Zoisite, who shrugged.

"I'm not bruised," he muttered. "Am I?"

"I don't see any." She raised on her toes to check him over. "No, but you do have a blade of grass in your hair."

Jupiter quirked a grin at Nephrite. "Wonder how that got there."

"There is no hand holding, and there will be no bruises," Kunzite interrupted icily, "because the Lady Orinna and I have merely been discussing business."

"Business?" Endymion shot back. "And here I thought you two might have been discussing Princess Serenity and myself."

"My lord," Kunzite gave him a little bow, "Lady Orianna is the head of Princess Serenity's guardians. I am the head of your guardians. You two _are_ our business."

Endymion only laughed. "Ah, is that all we are?"

"Of course! I know you far too well to consider you a _friend!_" Kunzite rolled the word around his mouth, his face almost disgusted.

"Oh!" Serenity cried, eyes narrowing into a glare. "Ridiculous! No one knows me better than Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter, and we are the _best_ of friends!"

"My love," Endymion murmured.

"Serenity!" Venus cut in. "Lord Kunzite was only making a joke."

Endymion began to laugh almost as wildly as Serenity only moments before. "This is madness! Absolute, wonderful madness! Here we all our, together as is absolutely forbidden to us all, talking as though we have known each other forever! Madness!"

"But where is Jadeite?" Nephrite added, also chuckling. He did not seem very shy anymore as he put his arm around Jupiter's waist. "Jadeite would never knowingly miss this!"

"Jadeite not take part in some form of chaos?" Zoisite shook his head and grinned. "If the fates have conspired to bring us all together thus, he must be here, too!"

"Well, then we are also missing one of our own," Mercury reasoned, "and there is no possible way Mars is here in this garden!"

Jupiter smiled around. "There's only one way to be sure."

"JADEITE!" Endymion shouted. "JADEITE, WHERE EVER YOU ARE, COME OUT NOW!"

There was a rustle of branches, and then the blonde guardian burst through. He wore his dark blue uniform, somewhat rumpled, tall dark blue boots, and a huge grin. He held out his arms in welcome, a distinctive red high heeled shoe in each hand.

"My liege!"

"Oh, you have to be kidding!"

Endymion, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite all suddenly had their hands full of hysterically laughing princesses. Their questions fell on deaf ears as each girl shook her head, unable to draw enough breath to even answer. Jupiter pounded her first on Nephrite's shoulder, Mercury buried her face in Zoisite's chest, Venus held on to Kunzite's arm for balance, Serenity wrapped her arms around Endymion, half-giggling, half-sobbing into his shoulder, and the men just shared a shrug.

"Well, that's a reaction I've never gotten before," Jadeite admitted, dropping his hands, and the shoes, to his sides. "What on Earth is going—ow!"

Something bounced off his head, falling into the nearest rosebush. He rubbed the sore spot with the toe of one scarlet slipper, glaring at the other missile.

"Just how many feet do the ladies of Mars have, exactly?"

"Mars! Stop it!"

"Give me the other one!"

Serenity managed to glance up, only to find Mars and Jupiter wrestling over the remaining boot on Jupiter's left foot. Nephrite finally leaned over and scooped his princess off her feet, holding her high out of Mars' reach.

"Now ladies," he began, "you _are_ in the presence of the Crown Prince of the Earth. A little more decorum, please!"

"Decorum! That bastard—"

"MARS!" Venus shrieked, blushing.

Endymion grinned, steadying Serenity as she swayed dangerously to one side from lack of oxygen. "Please. That's hardly the worst thing we've ever heard someone call Jadeite. You should hear some of the things _Kunzite_ calls him."

Venus gasped, looking up in surprise.

"Yes, well, now is not the time for that particular story. Any of them." Kunzite turned on Jadeite with a glower. "Will you please return the Princess of Mars' shoes, Jadeite?"

"Not bloody likely. That boot hurt enough! Have you seen the heels on these things? How do you walk on these things? These have to be the most impractical—"

"_KYAH!_"

Mars launched a bare foot at his middle, only to be left gaping in rage as he easily dodged around her.

"You bastard!"

"MARS!" Mercury squeaked.

"Hold still so I can—Argh!"

Slipping easily behind her, Jadeite wrapped both arms around her waist, dangling her shoes in front of her.

"Now, my love, calm yourself a little! While I approve of, and enjoy, such fire, such passion, as well you know, we are no longer alone."

Mars smiled coquettishly over her shoulder. "Jadeite…"

"Hm, darling?"

She snapped her head back, hard, right into his nose.

"MARS!"

"Ow! You bit'!"

"JADEITE!"

He stumbled back, a hand over his nose, staunching a sudden flow of blood with equally red material.

"Jadeite!" Mars snarled. "Don't bleed on my shoes."

She managed to snatch them to safety, unheeding to his groans. She rubbed at a speck of blood, growling under her breath, while Jadeite made a makeshift bandage of his uniform's sleeve.

"Mars, are you out of your mind?" Venus shrieked, digging through her subspace pockets desperately. "You can't just go around hitting men in the nose!"

"It's worked pretty well so far," the Martian princess shot back, slipping her shoes back on. "Now he's not touching me, is he?"

"That is no reason to—"

"Oh, muzzle it, Venus. I have no intention of playing nice with a wretch, a smooth talking viper, a lecherous _fiend_ with some weird maid fetish—"

"Sounds like our Jadeite," Endymion agreed.

"_And a liar_!"

"Wai' jus' one damn minu'e!" Jadeite shouted, accepting the handkerchief Venus handed him without a glance in her direction. "I nevah lie!"

"Oh, really?" Nephrite said.

"_You_ told _me_ that _you_ were—"

"Ta man you was lookin' for!"

"_After_ I said I was looking for—"

"Tus' me, you gos a behha deal tis way!"

"Oh, thank you very much," Endymion muttered.

Kunzite, looking less amused, told Jadeite coldly, "You do realize that impersonating the Crown Prince in a diplomatic situation is considered high treason, don't you?"

Jadeite's response, while non-verbal, got the message clearly across. Mercury and Serenity stifled gasps, while Venus and Jupiter giggled. Serenity even caught a glimmer of a grin on Mars' lips. Kunzite's eyes became harder, colder.

"Watch where you put those fingers, my friend. They might suddenly find themselves broken."

"Enough," Endymion ordered. "Everyone quiet down a little. We seem to have found ourselves in a bit of a situation. The question is, what do we do now?"

"_We,_" Mars snapped, gesturing to all the princesses, "will be returning to the Moon!"

"Not until this is sorted out, you can't," he argued gently.

"What is there to sort out?" Mars snapped. "_You_ are the cause of all this! If you hadn't made her cry, none of us would have come down here!"

"Be that as it may—"

"Alright, you tell Serenity that she must return to the Moon where it is _safe_, we will take her back, and we will pretend these meetings never happened."

"I tried telling her to go back," Endymion insisted. "She did not listen to me."

"If her swollen lips are an indication of your persuasive attempts, I'm not surprised." Serenity hurriedly raised her hand to hide her well-kissed mouth. "But this is not the place for her! So we are _returning_ to the Moon! NOW!"

"No."

Serenity glanced over, surprised to hear Mercury speak. She was again holding Zoisite's hand, and she looked fierce, yet almost desperate. Her Princess could not remember ever seeing her like that in all their years of friendship.

"There is more happening here than just the Prince and Princess, Mars. And I…and we…I can't leave! I can't walk away and never come back again!"

"Please," Jupiter added, clinging to Nephrite's waist, while he held her just as tightly. "Don't you understand?"

"Don't you care?" Serenity wailed. "Just once, Mars, _try_ to understand!"

"Try to think with your heart instead of your head!" Venus cried. "It's hearts that are being broken here! Not that you would ever understand _emotions._"

Mars shot her a deadly glare, but it was not she who answered.

"A little harsh, my lady, don't you think?" Jadeite muttered, finally speaking in his normal, drawling voice again. "As you can see from her outburst of bloodletting, she has plenty of emotion."

"Don't help," Mars ordered. "As for you fools, would you try and think past this moment to what lays beyond, please? What is happening in the near future?"

Serenity, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus threw each other confused glances, then shrugged. "What?"

Mars sighed, shaking her head. "Eluves, Furor, Adonis…"

"The envoy!"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Envoy?" Endymion asked. "What envoy?"

"Mother is sending an envoy to Earth next week!" Serenity cried, throwing her arms around his neck in delight. "So after next week, there will be no need to sneak anywhere!"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Serenity," Mercury interposed. "It will take time before we ourselves are allowed freely to come down to Earth. But it does mean that we will, in due course, officially meet you all. And from there…"

Smiles were spreading through the ten of them, along with hope and joy. Even Mars smirked, and Jadeite chuckled. They would be together again, without fear of consequences, without breaking laws or trust.

"Until then," Jupiter smiled up at Nephrite and shrugged, "we'll just have to be careful."


End file.
